Alex Eala’s return to the WTA Tour ended in disappointment as Chinese qualifier Shi Han rallied to beat the Filipina, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, in the first round of the Wuhan Open on Monday night.
Eala looked poised to advance after taking the opening set and holding a 3-2 lead in the second at Dongfeng-Voyah Center Court. But Shi found her rhythm and turned the match around, winning seven consecutive games to force a deciding set and seize control.
The 21-year-old Eala struggled with her first serve and committed too many unforced errors against the determined Chinese player, ranked No. 217 in the world.
Shi carried her momentum into the third set, racing to a 3-0 lead. Eala avoided falling further behind but could not stop her opponent, who held serve at love to move within a game of victory at 5-2, punctuating the game with back-to-back aces.
Eala finished with 37 unforced errors against 20 winners, as Shi closed out the upset.
The victory marked Shi’s first over a top-20 player. Before the Wuhan tournament, she had never beaten a top-100 opponent. She earned her place in the main draw by defeating world No. 37 Peyton Stearns and world No. 69 Kamilla Rakhimova in the qualifying rounds.
Shi, also 21, will next face Canadian Leylah Fernandez, who recently won the Singapore Open.
Eala returned to competition in Wuhan after skipping the China Open to represent the Philippines at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. Her loss marked her second straight defeat on the WTA Tour against an unseeded opponent, following her round-of-16 exit to Russia’s Tatiana Prozorova in Singapore late last month.
Although her singles campaign has ended, Eala remains in the tournament’s doubles draw. She and Turkish partner Zeynep Sonmez, a close friend, are scheduled to face Ukrainians Dayana Yastremska and Anhelina Kalinina in the round of 32 on Tuesday. FROM THE WIRES